1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hybrid electric weight device with a combination of a motor torque member, spring member and electric servo system to simulate a traditional weight plate, applying to muscle training devices and fitness equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Regardless of recreation, health or professional reasons, fitness exercise is an important part of our life. For example, strength trainers have become very popular in developed countries in Europe and America, and iron weight plates are used as a resistance device to provide required exercise load for the users, building up muscles. However, using the weight plate as the resistance device has many shortcomings. For example, the iron weight plate comes with a large volume and occupies much space. It takes much time and effort to make the adjustment of the load. When the iron plate is moved up and down, an annoying sound will be produced substantially. The iron plate is a weight load and thus the load cannot be changed by setting an exercise curve. When the heartbeat rate exceeds a specified limit, the load cannot be reduced automatically and immediately.
Moreover, a spring is a simple and inexpensive component of the kinetic energy storage and release and has been used in the fitness equipment for many years but its elastic force is not fixed and it is difficult to adjust, which does not meet the needs of rapid and continuous changes in the weight for exercising. In addition, the spring is lack of smooth feel of the iron plate in the exercise.
In recent years, many creators have disclosed a motor-style fitness equipment with automatic load devices for improving iron load and the spring load, such as the TW Patent No. 230359 of the inventor, U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,733 and No. 4,678,184. Although the motor automatic load device can improve the above partial shortcomings, there is a slow pace phenomenon in the recovery process after applying force, and a lack of sense of speed from the load of iron plate. Therefore, the motor automatic load device is still unable to meet the needs of the user.
Due to the improvement of life quality, the fitness equipment not only were asked not to interfere with the environment but also were asked for high demands for protecting the safety of the users. In addition, the user operable roundness and smooth feeling are main demands for a new generation of fitness equipment. Therefore, how to apply the advantage of saving kinetic energy of the spring and combine the motor torque to reduce energy consumption and reduce the cost of system hardware, and how to apply the servo controller to simulate the fitness demand of the users for allowing the users to get a sense of the speed of movement and the smooth sense of operation become the objectives of the present invention.